


Intertwined

by lissakoshka



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blind Character, M/M, mute character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-15
Updated: 2014-10-15
Packaged: 2018-02-21 06:56:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2458985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lissakoshka/pseuds/lissakoshka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A lonely man had lived through the same scene everyday. Without hearing or seeing another person for years, he had lost ability to speak and had forgotten a life without constant loneliness. <br/>Now he has been given the chance to change that life of a lonely man, but it's not as simple as you'd think.<br/>With two odds combined, <br/>They are intertwined.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Intertwined

**Author's Note:**

> This is a rather quick story I thought up at random. I didn't realise how much of a toll it was going to take on me, actually. A very difficult thing to write, I must admit. Shed too many tears, guys. Too many.  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy. It's not very long, but I do hope you get the same experience I did with it.   
> My goodness this broke me.

The man’s eyes were wide, soaking in the sight before him on the bare street of which he travelled upon each and every day, even though the winter cold that devoured his skin with harsh, icy bites. Today would have been no different, besides maybe the soft glisten of the warm crimson heat upon he icy sidewalks, but no. Today the streets weren’t as empty as they’d always been.

A young blond-haired boy stood on the road, his eyes ahead and his face unresponsive as he continuously tossed a sparkling, golden coin before him. He tended to stop and listen for the coin clattering against the icy and broken road, standing back to also admire the echo that occurred from it as it rolled and bumped into loose pieces of ice and bitumen. Every time, he had absolutely no trouble with picking up the coin, not missing the place where it landed with his hand in the slightest.

The older man watched, feeling the cold brush of air swiftly push the hair from his cheek and brought it upwards, causing it to tickle the base of his nose. He twitched, gently pressing the annoyance away from his vision.  His attention had been so enveloped on the young man’s repeated actions that he himself had begun to edge off the sidewalk he stood on, carefully placing his boot-covered foot on the cracked bitumen road. As he lowered himself onto the road, he felt the cold sneak up his legs, like an ice glazed hand gently stroking its way up from his ankles; a merciless cold that gripped onto him for as long as he could remember. He couldn't help but stop in the midst of the cold, staring as the blond-haired boy flung the coin ahead of him again and again, slowly walking onwards with every drop of the coin.

The man would've called out to the boy, ask him if he was alright or if he was lost, but no matter how much his vocal cords strained and tugged, no noise besides soft grumbles could escape his throat. He softened his gaze, realising that his loneliness took a toll on any social interaction he could possibly create. He was always on this same road, day after day, and everyday he was the only being who could stare upon the horridly cracked roads and abandoned buildings. This got to him, really. Knowing he'd never seen another human for a good few years, and yet, there was suddenly a person there, baring a small golden coin and an unnerving, unmoving expression. He would have loved to speak up, speak a sweet greeting to the boy, but all that came from his mouth was hopeless huffs and mumbles. Hot breath which clashed against the cool air around him, causing mists of white before his eyes before soon fading. A pointless action. It harboured no meaning other than the point of air in your lungs, but what use was that air if the lungs using it weren't deserving of the breath.

He continued to watch the boy, eyes watching the coin shimmer when being tossed into the cold air and ears listening to the sounds of metallic clicks and scrapes against the ice on the road. He took a few steps forward, every step cautious and careful. Why he didn't want to be heard was unknown, why he so desperately wanted to feel human presence but also wanted to not be seen was still an enigma to the man as well, and it almost made him think he wasn't a human at times.

The blond boy halted almost instantly as he picked up the coin from the ground once again, standing upright before turning to the direction of the sidewalk, which the other being stood, now also frozen in place. The boy's expression had changed into that of a more curious look, his eyes failing to land on the man who stood barely three metres away from the boy. "Hello? Is there someone else there...?" a soft voice spoke, his tone sounded hopeful, but along the vibrations of his voice was a mix of sadness.

The older man wondered how long the boy had been walking on roads like this. It really showed on his clothes, on his skin, in his hair... he looked the slightest bit muddled by the cold's effect. How long had he been wandering down here alone? It made the man sad. He knew his own life was nothing but constant loneliness, but he always thought it would be better if he lived that life instead of someone else. Never once did he get up and try to change this, never once did he try to search for someone else. No, he could never put himself up for something like that. All he did was wait and maybe even hope a little that someone would arrive and make him feel like he wasn't alone or that people knew about his existence. Knowing that now there was a boy on the road, the road that he thought he only knew made his throat loop and strain even harder. He wanted to respond to the boy, but yet he still could not speak. Only huffs of air escaped him now, but what use was that? No. He'd stand there and wait. Maybe the boy would move on closer.

To surprise, the young man did.

The blond's curious visage had began to twitch, his lips almost instantly curling up into a smile, forcing his red, cold battered cheeks upwards in the most peculiar way. "I know you're there. Your breath is very warm, you know. I can feel it from here." His voice broke from his smiling lips, taking a few steps closer to the man before promptly holding his hand out to him. "You're not scared, right? I'm sorry if I'm scaring you, but I just want to know if you're actually real or just a figment of my imagination. Cold like this can make you go crazy."

Of course, the man would agree with such a statement. It was no lie that he would hallucinate in the cold every few days or so, and most of the vivid images contained flocks of people, none that he had ever seen before, but he felt so welcomed by them. Sometimes he wished he was always hallucinating, like he was just having one big lonely dream that he would awake from and be greeted by loving people that he wished for so much.

The boy's hand had been left untouched for a few seconds while the man was left the dig around in his thoughts, which caused the boy's head to tilt in confusion. He knew that there was someone else there, he could hear them, feel their warmth radiating from their very being, he could even taste the difference in the air. Though, soon enough, the man slowly reached out and grasped the boy's hand, a strange surge of warmth spreading from both their fingertips. It had been too long that either of them had felt the warm skin of another, and it was so odd to feel a pulse beneath said skin, so noticeable to the touch of a company deprived being.

Though, even if the man had reached for his hand, the boy felt something off about the man. Sure, his breath could be heard, and there certainly something in his throat that could make soft vibrations, yet he wouldn't speak. He didn't mind, their company was enough in the seemingly empty area he stood in, but yet, he wondered if the person before him was actually able to converse with or just not willing to speak.

The man also noticed something odd about the blonde boy. He stood there, hand-in-hand with him, but yet, the gaze of the boy seemed to wonder off and over his shoulder, rather than staring into his face or eyes. The boy's eyes were the faintest bit blue from what he could see, but his eyes seemed to be fogged with a misty substance which made his eyes seem almost colourless because of it. It reminded him of a dead fish eye, actually.

The boy soon let go of the man's hand, leaning into the gap between them and smiling a bit more. "Not very talkative, hm?" He asked, sounding almost disappointed that the man wasn't responding. The only thing the man did in response was sigh softly, taking a soft gulp afterwards. The boy noticed, of course, which made his smile drop slightly. "Are you alright?"

The man didn't know if he was. He couldn't decipher his own feelings as well as he used to, but if he had to guess, he probably wasn't feeling the best. Not compared to the blond-haired boy who leaned in right before his face. He looked down and stared at the bits of broken ice scattered on the small creases of his worn down leather boots, his throat tightening before he gave a soft yet sad grumble.

The boy's eyebrows lowered, a saddened expression soon covering his curved face. The realisation could've have hit him any stronger than it did then. The two of them were alike without a doubt now, and it gave the blond boy even more chills than what the cold had given him. He leaned back, his expression now sadder than it had ever been. "You can't talk, can you..." He said in a hushed voice, feeling remorse for a person he didn't even know personally. A person he had met less than a few minutes ago, and already he felt more obligated to help them than anyone else he'd ever met.

The man looked up, eyes wide and mouth parted, though soon pulled his bottom lip back to bite on it slightly, halting any shaky noises from escaping his mouth. How the boy knew so quickly he didn't completely understand, but he couldn't help but start shaking. The first person he had met in years, and they had picked out his problem with no trouble whatsoever. It made his heart feel as though it had just slipped right out of its place, plummeting down to the pits of his body.

The boy gathered no real idea on what was going on in front of him, but it couldn't have been the happiest of responses. Gently, he reached forward, his hand clawing out and grasping onto the soft and warm material of the man's coat, giving the man an apologetic look. "If it makes you feel any better... well..." He trailed off on his sentence slightly, tilting his head to the side for a moment before looking back towards the man before him. He had to show the man he understood how he felt. "..I can't see. At all."

The man looked down at the hand clasping onto his dark brown jacket, those words the blond-haired male spoke ringing through his ears like a church bell. That was... horrible... the boy looked so young, a teenager at least, and he couldn't see? Not even the slightest? The man shook more, his entire body feeling as though it was about to crumple. A year was nothing to him anymore, they passed by so quick sometimes and none of them even mattered to him. He would trade places with the boy in an instant, just so he could see the world, so he could see the land around him that was abused by winter's harsh whip and whirl. It would mean more to the boy than it ever could to him.

Without a second thought, the man grasped the boy's hand with the two of his own, holding the warm hand close. He hadn't realised that now a warm fluid had began to seep from his eyes and run down his cheeks, and his throat was shaking alongside the soft pour of tears. He wanted to tell him what everything around him looked like and even what the man he was right beside looked like. He cursed at himself for not being able to use his vocal cords and he cursed at fate for making such a young soul unable to see the world around him.

The blond male flinched in surprise as he felt a warmth encase his hand, his hand letting go of the soft jacket it once clung onto. At the sound of soft sobs and the feeling of the man shaking made him gently place his remaining hand on the outside of the man's shaky grasp. "Hey, come on... I've been like this for a while. It's no big deal for me. My ears have gotten really sharp and I can probably do a lot more than I could with my vision." Though, he did want to know who was holding his hands like this, what the person without a voice looked like, how his face was shaped, how his eyes looked... he wish he knew, but even then, he didn't need his vision to know that he felt comfortable right now. This man seemed to feel a lot of pain, and he knew that feeling more than any average person. If he had met anyone else they would have not understood the struggles of things like this, let alone even want to speak with him.

Though, try as he might, the younger male couldn't seize the man's sobs and shivers. He didn't want him to feel like this, not now. He wanted to be able to walk along with him or just be able to feel like he wasn't alone on this road, whether it was a literal one or a metaphorical one. Gently, he took a step back, his hands still within the man's grasp. "Could we just walk for a bit? I'd like to get to know you better." He spoke, trying to give a kick of happiness to the conversation. Sulking was something they could do later.

The man blinked, his tears stopping their seemingly endless pour and his body suddenly more sturdy. He looked at the blond-haired boy, studying his expression as the last of his tears dried up. He'd never met someone like this. Ever. He was so optimistic, even for someone with such a saddening disability. He didn't want to bring that down. That was good for the boy, so he followed along with what he wanted to do. Just to keep him happy.

The boy smiled as the other followed him with no complaint, gently grasping one of the man's hands and releasing the other. He needed support if he was going to walk without using his ears and a coin. Surely enough, he had began to take a few steps forward, his meek shoes barely clinging onto the ice of the road, though there was just enough grip on the sole of his worn down shoes to stop himself from falling, and along with the man's arm for support he felt very safe on the slippery ice.

With his hand in the younger being's hand, the older man couldn't deny this was very nice experience. If only he had social interaction like this more often instead of just relying on his own head to keep him company. The warmth of another was so soothing to him, like a big thick blanket you'd place on your lap when you sat by a live fireplace. It was like listening to the soft cracks of burning wood breaking apart and the growl of flames growing larger and warmer all in one action. Something that made you feel better than hearing or seeing something. Feeling. And with their differences, they still had one sense all the same.

The boy gave a happy sigh and kept his foggy, unseeing eyes looking ahead. He was more than happy now, but there was some things he needed to say before everything was all completely good. He turned his head towards the heat of the other, attempting to make it look as though he was staring at the man beside him. "My name is Armin, by the way. Glad to meet you." He spoke with a voice as sweet as caramel. "Do you have a name?"

The man thought for a moment. Actually, not hearing or saying a name for so many years had actually made him forget if he even had a name in the first place. Surely he must've been called something... but it wasn't coming to him at the moment. He grumbled in defeat and shook his head. His mind just couldn't dig out something like that, could it?

"No?" The boy known as Armin responded to the small noise. It sounded of the negative type, so he assumed that was the answer the man was attempting to convey."Well, that's no good...."

The man agreed. Of course a name must be important if you were around people, so a lack of one would make things rather hard for others. But, he wouldn't know about that. Social scenes were far from something he had any knowledge of.

"I'm going to have to name you, ok?" Armin smiled, stopping in the midst of a cold breeze. He gently let go of the hand he was holding onto all this time and tried to place himself in front of the man, hopefully positioning himself correctly, but it seemed alright if it was slightly off anyway. "Though there is a catch. I used to name my toys by what they looked like, so I'll have to do the same. Stay still for me, ok?"

He gave a nod, now standing as still as possible and awaiting the next move. Slowly, he watched a hand reach out towards his face, the warm fingertips landing against his cheek. Armin began tracing his fingers over the skin of his cheek before moving his fingers inwards, running over the base of the man's nose before following its structure downwards towards where the two nostrils were placed. A rather sharp nose compared to what the boy felt on his own face, but it was a nicely shaped one nonetheless. Soon, his fingertips dragged up to the man's forehead, noticing the empty space of skin and the sensation of thick strands of hair tickling his knuckles. He laughed slightly and followed the line of hair downwards, feeling the shorter strands of hair end just beside the bottom of his ear. Seemed as though he had sideburns and a bit of a shaved head. 'An undercut, maybe..?' He thought as he continued onto the jawline, his index finger gently pressing against the skin and feeling for the bone beneath the skin before doing tracing his fingers down the length and stopping at his chin, feeling a bit of a sharply shaped chin against his fingers. He smiled in satisfaction, pulling his hand away before whispering softly.

_"Levi."_

He blinked, not sure how to react. Levi? Did he really suit that name? He stared at the boy with questioning eyes, but knew he wouldn't be able to see his expression. Well, it was up to him anyway. He didn't mind, but he'd need to get used to such a name. He just hoped Armin would stick around to make sure he'd remember it.

"It's nice to meet you, Levi." Armin spoke, reaching forward once again and grasping what felt like the man's jacket sleeve, his smile now a grin.

He looked down at the boy's hand curled into the dark brown fabric of his jacket once again, a small smile dawning on his lips as those words hit his ears so welcomingly. If he could speak just once in his life, this would be the moment he would use his words. No other time in his entire life did he want to say something so simple yet something that could express his gratitude to the blond-haired boy he had met on an empty road. All he wanted to say was...

**_'Thank you, Armin.'_ **


End file.
